This invention relates to an apparatus for transferring data from one vessel to another. More particularly, this invention is to an interface to optically pass data underwater without using a separate connector or conduit for data that penetrates a pressure hull.
The current methods of transferring data between submersibles, submerged sensors/transponders of data, and other underwater packages usually rely on cables or connectors that physically penetrate the pressure hull. Typically, undersea vessels have pressure hulls that are strongly built to bear the crushing ambient pressures of deep water; however, the contemporary electrical or optical couplers tend to compromise the structural integrities of the submerged platforms where they penetrate the pressure hulls. Consequently, the capabilities and effectiveness of pressure hulls are limited as a consequence of the need to transfer data. Because of this limitation, some manned or unmanned submersibles must restrict their activities to shallower depths where meaningful data may not be collected as easily, and the risk of detection and more effective countermeasures may be greater.
Thus, in accordance with this inventive concept, a need has been recognized in the state of the art for an underwater data interface permitting high-speed optical transfer of data between submerged vessels without compromising structural integrity.